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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22987153">Major Image</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/daeneryssed/pseuds/daeneryssed'>daeneryssed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>All the cheese in the world, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, Requited Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:54:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,439</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22987153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/daeneryssed/pseuds/daeneryssed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The four times Caleb cast Major Image for Jester.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>143</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Major Image</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>One of the WIPs I have that I finally finished and am posting! I don't have a beta and I get really impatient proof-reading, so all mistakes in my fics are mine. Apologies for any inaccuracies. </p><p>Enjoy!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <b>Major Image</b>
</p><p>
  <em> You create the image of an object, a creature, or some other visible phenomenon that is no larger than a 20-foot cube. The image appears at a spot that you can see within range and lasts for the duration. It seems completely real, including sounds, smells, and temperature appropriate to the thing depicted…If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, and its other sensory qualities become faint to the creature. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the spell lasts until dispelled, without requiring your Concentration. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>+++</p><p> </p><p>She’s beautiful. </p><p>She had always been beautiful. He had found her blue skin and purple eyes lovely, but the thought coalesced only in passing; a passive perception, if you could call it that. He had seen many beautiful women in his life.</p><p>Somewhere along the way, that changed. She was no longer just at the fringes of his mind. She became <em> Jester</em>, front and centre, the force of her personality overtaking all else and focusing his tunnel vision on her. Her beauty came not from her appearance but from the sweetness of her smile, the lilt in her voice, the mischief in her eyes, the unending compassion in her soul. </p><p>Standing there in the amber light of his spell, surrounded by hamster unicorns and lollipops, she was breath-taking. </p><p>He stared at her. </p><p>She was going on about performances and the Traveler, and he could not really concentrate on her words, nothing computing in his usually high-functioning brain save for the wonder in her eyes and the softness of her expression. Then she was looking at him, waiting for an answer, an affirmation, and he could only say</p><p>“Yes.” </p><p>The words came out of his mouth even as his brain failed to grasp what exactly he was promising her. Because it would always be <em> yes </em> for her. What mad man would say no? </p><p>“I-I don’t know, I’m not a performer-”</p><p>“This is wonderful, Caleb!” </p><p>“-but…” He stumbled, the smile on her face too bright for him. He did not deserve it. “…you have done so much for m- for all of us, that of course we should do this for you.” </p><p><em> For me</em>, he wanted to scream. He kept it in. This was not about him. </p><p>“You deserve it.” </p><p>Then she was hugging him and he felt as if he might burn right through her, leaving a black mark on her very soul, tainting it with the sins of his past. Tamping down on that <em> unbearable </em>itch to hold her back, he retreated. All that he touched would eventually turn to ash. </p><p>This magic, his spells, it was all he could offer her. Nothing more. </p><p> </p><p>+++</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Caleb found Jester in a little alcove just off the beach, hidden amongst a cluster of low buildings, just a few blocks away. He had agonised over whether to follow her, since the others had collectively decided that she needed some time alone, but something at the back of his mind told her she needed some companionship. Jester Lavorre was a social creature and at the core of it all, she wanted to be loved. </p><p>He sent Frumpkin out in his owl form to make a sweep of the surrounding area, hoping the cleric had not teleported herself a distance away where he could not find her. Thankfully, he had only had to make a ten-minute walk before he was winding a sandy path through mossy rocks and overgrown bushes, colourful unfamiliar tropical blooms lending a sweet, almost pungent scent to the salty air. Jester was seated on a wooden bench, head hanging low. </p><p>His heart wrenched at the forlorn figure that she cut. </p><p>“Jester,” he called out softly, in case she had not heard him approach. </p><p>Her head jerked up, eyes wide in surprise. </p><p>“Caleb! You are here!” There was the slightest up-turn to her tone, the barest hint of relief in her voice, that informed him that he had made the right decision to follow her. She was happy to see him. </p><p>“May I sit?” he asked, approaching her. She scooted over in response, shooting him a small smile. </p><p>He was surprised to see that her eyes were dry, with no redness or puffiness that would evidence tears. He had expected her to cry. It would have been a perfectly reasonable response. After all, she had been looking forward to TravelerCon for so many months. To have had it fail so spectacularly as it did would have sent any interested person into a funk, not least of all the deity’s - archfey’s - most devoted cleric, who had already had to deal with the revelation of his decades’ long untruth just weeks prior. </p><p>No, she was not crying. That would indicate a dashing of hopes. Instead, she looked…resigned. </p><p><em> That </em>was a scarier thing to behold, a Jester who had given up.</p><p>She spoke first, as if in explanation, “I knew it would fail.”</p><p>Caleb sighed. “Oh Jester.” </p><p>“I knew it. Deep in my heart,” her voice arced high, her shoulders rising in a corresponding shrug, “I think I always knew. I mean, I knew TravelerCon was coming but I always felt like I didn’t really know what to do. I should have known. I should have asked more maybe, or done <em> something</em>, but we were always so busy doing other stuff and trying to find Yeza, then stop a war, then stop other bad people and- and-” She turned to Caleb, looking at him in the eyes for the first time, and he was not quite ready for the depth of sorrow reflected in her irises. </p><p>Jester should never have to feel like this. </p><p>“Then he told me what he was, who he <em>really </em>was, and I told myself, it's okay, but I think I knew, you know? And maybe, maybe that doubt affected things. My, my belief lent him power, right? I think I stopped...believing.” </p><p>He could have disagreed, could have fought her on the notion that, somehow, she had not done enough. Every fibre of his being told him to, because he did not like to see Jester sad. Not even a little bit. She could never be a failure, not in his eyes. </p><p>The words nearly slipped out, but he held them back. The same instinct that told him Jester did not want to be alone told him that nothing he said would convince her that she had not failed. What’s done was done – she had made her peace with that. So Caleb offered the only thing he could give right now: his support. </p><p>“What would you like to do now?” he asked her.</p><p>Jester pondered over this for a few moments before smiling a little. “I don’t know…draw more dicks?”</p><p>He would have laughed if she had not sounded so earnest. Caleb scratched his arms, an old habit, and thought. “That is doable. We need to pick a good spot, a place of importance like a temple or city watch building.” </p><p>Jester’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re…you’re going to help?”</p><p>“Ja, of course, why would I not?”</p><p>Her eyes narrowed now and she searched his expression carefully, as if she expected him to be pulling her leg. Caleb met her gaze full on. After several seconds of meticulous appraisal, a grin began to spread across her face. “Really?”</p><p>“Really,” he said evenly. “I know lots of spells, many that could help you.” </p><p>“You <em> are </em>an amazing wizard.”</p><p>“Ja, illusions to distract or charm people, while you, you know,” he waved vaguely at her hip where her satchel was slung, “do your stuff. I will be the back-up.”</p><p>“I still have that gold dust. You could do your cool dunamancy shit.”</p><p>“Why else would I be learning it?” </p><p>“I could paint a giant dick and then you could freeze it in the air!”</p><p>“Then I would create the illusion of many tiny dicks around it.”</p><p>“And- and they would all be, like, singing!”</p><p>“Thaumaturgy to amplify the sound, all shouting ‘penis!’”</p><p>Jester cackled at that last idea, her loud laughter spilling out into the air and making his heart expand ten times in size until he was sure it would burst out of his ribcage. </p><p>Struck by a sudden idea - a sudden stupid idea that just one year ago would have seemed blasphemous to him - he reached into his component pouch, pulled out a ball of fleece and waved it in the air, whispering arcane words to create a two dozen or more tiny dicks in the air around them, glowing amber and pink and purple. Jester’s eyes widened, mouth agape for a second, before she began to laughd even harder. With a flick of his wrist, they closed in to form a circle around her, tips brushing against her face and shoulders and arms. </p><p>Jester squealed, batting at the air around her even though her fingers passed right through the illusions. “Stop, stop!” </p><p>“They aren’t doing anything,” he said, laughing a little too, her joy infectious. He made them crawl all over her body, her arms, her legs, Jester’s laughs and yelps growing louder as she tried and obviously failed to shake them off. </p><p>“No, stop! It tickles!” she said, throwing herself sideways towards him in a bid to get away, and his arms came up to catch her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Caleb!”</p><p>He laughed over the top of her head, manoeuvring so he didn’t lose an eye to a horn. She continued to flail and squeal, her tail whipping back and forth, no doubt feeling the faint illusory taps of the lewd appendages all over her body. </p><p>They stayed like that for a minute or so, both laughing, until he finally took pity on her and dispelled the images. Jester’s eyes were watery with tears of laughter and Caleb’s own cheeks hurt from smiling so broadly. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, hand coming to grip his own tightly, and when he glanced down at her, her eyes were closed. </p><p>“Thank you, Caleb,” she said again, her voice sweet and lovely, “for coming here. For making me laugh.” And before he knew it, she had reached up and kissed him on the cheek. His mouth hung open in surprise as she pulled back, just a few inches, her breath still palpable against his quickly reddening face. “You are a good friend.”</p><p><em> Pull away</em>, he told himself, <em> pull away from her</em>. </p><p>He didn’t. He couldn’t. </p><p>“Y-you’re welcome,” he stuttered out. </p><p>It must have shown on his face. He, a master of lies, failed to hide his emotions in time. </p><p>Jester’s expression morphed into one of realisation, as she drew back from him. He felt as if his heart was ripped out with her retreat. </p><p>“Jester-”</p><p>“Caleb,” she cut across, her expression unreadable save for one of shocked comprehension, “are you in love with me?”</p><p>Time ground to a halt. </p><p>All sound appeared to dissipate, until all he heard was the pounding of his heart in his ears. </p><p>The answer was clear for her to see. </p><p>It took a few more seconds before his brain kicked back into action. “I’m sorry,” he said, standing up, unable to stay here, unable to think. His arms itched. His skin prickled. He wanted to rip it off him. “I’m sorry, I should go.”</p><p>She let him leave. </p><p>He wished she didn’t. </p><p> </p><p>+++</p><p> </p><p>“You know, it’s rude to leave a lady like that.”</p><p>She caught him completely by surprise the next morning. He should have expected this; she was continually turning his world topsy turvy, why should this time be any different? Standing at the threshold of his room, she was smiling at him as if he hadn’t just- as if the previous night hadn’t happened at all.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he said, the words sounding more like a question. He cleared his throat and repeated himself, “I’m sorry. I should not have done that.”</p><p>“I’m not sure I forgive you,” she said, brow furrowing. “I mean, you should do <em>something</em> to make it seem like you mean it, right?”</p><p>“Uh, right,” he said blandly, still unsure of how to act. How <em> do </em>you act when the person you had secretly loved for a year discovers out your feelings for her in a moment of vulnerability and whom you had abandoned in that moment of vulnerability turned up at your doorstep the next morning looking all for the world like you had simply spilled her milk the day before and not just revealed one of your closest held secrets?</p><p>There would be no book to answer that for him. </p><p>“I- er- will make it up to you,” he said, brain already whirring at what he could do for her. “Maybe I could-”</p><p>“A cupcake.”</p><p>“A…cupcake?”</p><p>“I would like a cupcake. Actually, many cupcakes.” </p><p>Caleb couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. <em> Oh Jester, you are a good friend</em>. “Right, of course, I will be happy to get many cupcakes for you.”</p><p>“I want twenty of them, no, thirty, maybe forty, all different flavours,” she declared, arms spread out, her tail whipping excitedly behind her. Caleb’s heart melted. He was glad he had not lost her as a friend, that she continued to stand by him like this. He could live with that. </p><p>He could. </p><p>An idea came to his mind again. Dipping a hand into his component pouch to pinch the fleece again, he summoned an array of colourful cupcakes into existence. His mind was not so imaginative to immediately conjure forty different flavors, but they were varied enough, a few of her favourite black moss and cinnamon-topped cupcakes dancing immediately around her. The scent of sugar, cinnamon and chocolate immediately filled the air. </p><p>“Ah!” cried Jester happily, skirt flaring out around her as she twirled in a circle. “This is perfect, Caleb!” She reached out to one cupcake and of course her fingers passed right through it, although he tried his best to make it float in her hand as if she had caught it. Jester giggled. </p><p>“You are so talented, Caleb,” she said, pretending to bite into the cupcake. “These fake cupcakes won’t do though.”</p><p>“Of course not,” he said reassuringly, “just take it as an interim gift, ja?”</p><p>“Ja,” she said, grinning. “But that’s not all I want.”</p><p>“Oh?” He smiled tenderly at her, wondering what sort of shenanigans she would ask from him. She had asked for a giant floating dick the night before. And there was so much else she could do with that gold dust. The world might soon be assaulted with some dunamatic pranks. He was not sure he was ready for that but how could he say no to Jes-</p><p>“I would like a date.”</p><p>-ter. </p><p>Concentration utterly shattered, the cupcakes disappeared. </p><p>He stared at her. </p><p>She stared back, a mischievous smile on her face. </p><p>Minutes must have passed, days, no, months even. For the first time in his life, Caleb could not tell time. Perhaps Jester had created a new strand of magic. One that warped time and reality; perhaps she was the answer he had been looking for all this time. </p><p>Perhaps she was the answer. </p><p> </p><p>+++</p><p> </p><p>His plan had failed. </p><p>It had been so simple. Take her to a nice birthday dinner, go for a walk through the festival, make their way to her favourite bridge over the stream that wound its way through the town, and have their first kiss under the fireworks. </p><p>It followed everything Jester had mentioned about how her ideal first kiss, something she had blabbed about to Veth and which Veth had promptly informed him. He had wanted so much to give her that. Veth and Caduceus had even offered to help, making sure that the others did not accidentally disturb them and that no untoward things interrupted the evening plan. </p><p>Of course, bad tidings followed the Mighty Nein no matter where they went. A barfight, a stolen diamond, a chase, and another scuffle later, they were effectively banished from the small town and dumped back onto the road. </p><p>Her birthday was ending soon and he was running out of time to give her a kiss. </p><p>His friends, for all they had fucked the day up, scrambled to make things work. </p><p>Now, thirty minutes later, with only five minutes to go until midnight struck – four minutes and fifty seconds now, his brain counted down – he stood in a clearing that Veth and Fjord had found for him. The full moon was hidden behind the clouds, because <em> of course </em>it was, so Yasha had cast a soft blue Light on a flower to illuminate the space, the messy branches of the trees around them only faintly visible at the fringes of the cantrip’s light. On the ground behind him was a small picnic mat (or, well, one of Beau’s cloaks) with sandwiches that Caduceus had made. </p><p>Right before Jester stepped into the clearing, alerted by Frumpkin posted a short way off, he cast Major Image, making sure he injected enough arcane energy into the spell so it wouldn’t break from a lack of concentration. The soft amber light of unicorns, hamsters, seahorses, puppies, kittens and all sorts of nonsensical creatures, interspersed with lollipops and pastries (covered with cinnamon), flittered around him. It was silly. One of the silliest spells he had ever cast, especially one of this power, but it was all he had. </p><p>She appeared from the darkness, eyes wide and mouth agape. He had hoped she would laugh at the spell, maybe even smile, but she only stared at him. </p><p>His heart sank. </p><p>“I don’t have fireworks, a- a bridge over a stream, or you know, a good meal…” he trailed off, feeling stupid and inadequate and shameful, for he could offer her nothing, not a proper first kiss, not a romantic date, not a good life; especially not now that she knew what he had done. He did not know why he had allowed himself to hope that-</p><p>“I only need you.”</p><p>His brain, his constant, over-thinking brain, ground to a halt at that - like it so often did with her - and he looked, <em> properly </em>looked, for the first time, at the woman in front of him. </p><p>She was not smiling, but tears filled her eyes. Her gaze so soft he felt he might melt right under it. As a unicorn flittered past her, squeaking happily, a tear slipped down her cheek. </p><p>“I- I don’t…” he stuttered, not sure he had heard her correctly. </p><p>She stepped forward, grabbing his hands and holding them in both of hers. “This is <em> wonderful</em>, Caleb.”</p><p>It took a moment for him to reply. “Yeah?” he asked, still uncertain whether he had really heard correctly. </p><p>Now, she laughed. “I don’t need fireworks, or an expensive dinner, or- or some bridge over a stream.”</p><p>“Well, you said-” he stopped, realising he had outed Veth. Jester shook her head, a sly grin on her face.</p><p>“Veth betrayed my secrets right?”</p><p>“I…” He could feel his face going red and knew he looked like a boy caught with his hand in the candy jar. Jester laughed and <em> oh </em>that laugh. </p><p>“We all have ideal first kisses right? Like standing on a mountain and kissing at sunrise. Or, or under the stars wrapped in each other’s arms, right before a big battle. They are <em> so </em>romantic.” She stepped closer, her hands coming around him, and he leaned in, hungry for her touch. </p><p>“But you know, I realised, I was thinking about all these different things, and they were always changing, the things I thought were ideal. And then I realised, there was always one constant.”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“It was always just you.” </p><p>He thought he might cry then. His eyes burned, and his chest ached. He could not remember the last time he had felt so happy. It had been so long. So very long. </p><p>He dipped his head and their lips met. </p><p>A chorus of creatures squealed around them. </p><p>They broke apart immediately, both laughing. </p><p>“That was not a very long first kiss,” Jester said, in between chortles.</p><p>He pulled her back in, dispelling the spell. “Oh blueberry, there is much more to come. Also,” he counted down the seconds, “happy birthday.” </p><p>Her smile was radiant enough to outshine the glowing magical flower behind him. </p><p>“Thank you, Caleb. Now kiss me again, please, thank you.” </p><p><br/><br/><br/>+++</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“And little lollipops and hamster unicorns that are amber coloured start floating around as I cast <strong>Major Image</strong>.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you liked it!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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